Former Inter Milan defender Andrea Ranocchia has stepped in to defend Alessandro Bastoni following Saturday’s contentious Derby d’Italia against Juventus.
Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport via FCInterNews, Ranocchia addressed the death threats aimed at the 26-year-old.
Alessandro Bastoni came under heavy scrutiny in the aftermath of the latest edition of the famous Derby d’Italia.
Indeed, he found himself in the middle of the drama, given that he was the one to convince referee Federico La Penna to send off Pierre Kalulu.
Bastoni went down under an apparent challenge from the French star in an attempt to get his opponent a second yellow card.
Furthermore, he succeeded, only to later become victim on social media.
Devastated by the loss, frustrated Juventus supporters sent death threats to the Italian ace, forcing him to turn off comments on his Instagram profile.
Meanwhile, Inter chiefs have already decided to stand firmly behind their under-fire star.
Andrea Ranocchia Defends Inter Milan Center-Back Alessandro Bastoni Amid Death Threats
GENOA, ITALY – DECEMBER 14: Alessandro Bastoni of Inter looks on during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and FC Internazionale at Luigi Ferraris Stadium on December 14, 2025 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)
“Saturday night’s incident? Too much, way too much fuss,” Ranocchia said. “A media witch-hunt that a good guy like Ale doesn’t deserve.
“He is anything but a serial diver. He may have made a mistake in this specific case.
“However, people are exaggerating in their assessments: you always have to consider the adrenaline of the moment. And the analysis is general…
“If you watch it live or on TV, given the speed and dynamics, you immediately think: ‘Okay, he got him, it’s a second booking…’.
“Second point: no player in such a fast-moving situation wants to dive with the precise intention of getting an opponent sent off.
“Okay, it wasn’t a hard contact, but it happened in motion, he felt a hand on him and went down – it’s nothing unusual.
“Everyone has done it, myself included. As for the rest, Kalulu should have defended differently, without risking a card.
“If there’s a problem, it’s the protocol that needs to be changed.
“How is the reaction to Bastoni being exaggerated? It’s an unacceptable witch-hunt for a player who has always played fair.
“Trying to influence a situation in your favor on the pitch is normal.
“I’m not defending dives as such; they should be punished. But here, there was just a light touch, and it remained a play situation.
“Those who deliberately try to hurt a teammate behave far worse.”
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GENOA, ITALY – DECEMBER 14: Cristian Chivu, head coach of Inter, reacts during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and FC Internazionale at Luigi Ferraris Stadium on December 14, 2025 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)
Asked about Bastoni’s over-the-top celebration, Ranocchia replied: “In the heat of the moment, it happens that you let yourself go.
“Everyone has done something on the pitch driven by instinct, something you later regret.
“It was an Inter-Juve match, there was tension, and he went down also because he felt that small touch.
“Seeing the red card shown to the opponent, he didn’t think he had tricked him; he was only thinking about the game.
“What should Inter do? Nothing different from what they are already doing – defend the honor of their player.”
“You can’t say for a second that this is a rigged league. Mistakes happen and will always happen.
Meanwhile, Ranocchia also pointed out that Inter lost the Serie A title last season due to a huge refereeing mistake.
“Last year, Inter lost the Scudetto over a huge foul on Bisseck that wasn’t called at San Siro against Roma.”
Finally, he urged Cristian Chivu to always stand by his players.
“Cristian is the coach who must defend his player, who has been unjustly accused of being… unfair.
“That’s the starting point. Between the lines, he made it clear that even for him, it wasn’t a yellow card.